What to look for in a power supply?

You want to look at the brand (Quality), Amperage (The more the better), how many 12v rails it has, the amount of connections it has (Mainly 6 pin pci-e), if it is 80 plus certified or not, and if it has active PFC.

An excellent power supply that has all the things I am talking about is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7151094&cm_re=Seasonic-_-17-151-094-_-Product

BTW, its not all about the wattage you should be concerned about, the power supply about would most likely be able to run a Dual/Quad core system with a GTX 460 no problem.

Now all you need is someone to explain the stuff I said in the first sentence :P
 
Alien! Where? said:
You want to look at the brand (Quality), Amperage (The more the better), how many 12v rails it has, the amount of connections it has (Mainly 6 pin pci-e), if it is 80 plus certified or not, and if it has active PFC.

An excellent power supply that has all the things I am talking about is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7151094&cm_re=Seasonic-_-17-151-094-_-Product

BTW, its not all about the wattage you should be concerned about, the power supply about would most likely be able to run a Dual/Quad core system with a GTX 460 no problem.

Now all you need is someone to explain the stuff I said in the first sentence :P
Click to expand...
Brand doesn't mean everything. Take Cooler Master for example. I wouldn't touch their Extreme Power PSUs with a 10 foot poll, but their Silent Pro Gold Series is one of the best around. Why? Because different OEMs manufacture different lines for these companies.

Same can be said for Thermaltake. A lot of people hold them in high regard when really their PSU's are average (Toughpower) or absolute junk (Litepower).

As well as Corsair's TX line is fairly outdated and there are far better power supplies for the same money. However, their HX and AX lines are brilliant.

I could go on and on, but the point is to not just go by branding.
 
Alien! Where? said:
You want to look at the brand (Quality), Amperage (The more the better), how many 12v rails it has, the amount of connections it has (Mainly 6 pin pci-e), if it is 80 plus certified or not, and if it has active PFC.

An excellent power supply that has all the things I am talking about is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7151094&cm_re=Seasonic-_-17-151-094-_-Product

BTW, its not all about the wattage you should be concerned about, the power supply about would most likely be able to run a Dual/Quad core system with a GTX 460 no problem.

Now all you need is someone to explain the stuff I said in the first sentence :P
Click to expand...

Thats funny because I planned to run an i5-750 or i7-930 and a GTX 460
 
Multiple 12V rails means little. I would suggest the following regardless of brand:

12V rail amperage (single rail is better)
Efficiency (80% or greater)
Active PFC - you want this
MTBF tested at 40oC rather than 25oC
5 year warranty
Over/Under voltage protection
120mm fan or greater (reduces noise)
High quality jap capacitors
Modular cables is good, but it will reduce overall efficiency
Good quality brands are still the way to go regardless
Understand that ATX, BTX etc refers to size and dimensions. Ensure you get the right one
EPS2.91 is better than just ATX 2.3.


The seasonic above covers all/most of this.
 
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